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CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: JULY 23, 2003
TOP STORY: UK PM TONY BLAIR VISITS PRC
NORTH KOREA TOPS ON THE LIST OF SUBJECTS; HONG KONG IS NOT
British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Communist China for talks on the nuclear ambitions of PRC ally North Korea. Blair held talks with PRC President Hu Jintao, and Central Military Commission Chair Jiang Zemin � another sign of how much power Jiang still has. Reports: CNN 7/21, BBC 7/22, Cybercast News
Blair also brought up the situation in Hong Kong, but �did not press the Chinese leadership on the issue of civil and democratic rights in Hong Kong as hard as the White House or the U.S. Congress� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN). Blair also said Hong Kong was not in a crisis, which may come as a surprise to the folks who actually live there (CNN 7/23, BBC 7/23).
Despite all the smiles, Lam noted that the so-called People�s Republic is still far closer to Germany and France than the U.K.
NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA, EAST TURKESTAN, AND THE TERRORIST WAR
SADDAM�S AMBASSADOR TO PRC HOLED UP IN EMBASSY
Saddam Hussein�s Ambassador to Communist China has refused to leave the Iraqi Embassy in Beijing and �threatened to shoot anyone who tried to enter� (Washington Post). The new Ambassador has tried to enlist the Communists to help get rid of the Ba�athist Ambassador, but the PRC � which opposed the American military action in Iraq � is sitting on its hands.
Check out the Communist China and the Terrorist War page.
NORTH KOREA NEWS
BEIJING AND WASHINGTON AGREE ON NK TALKS, DIFFER ON WHO ELSE SHOULD ATTEND
The U.S. has told Communist Chinese envoy and Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo that they would accept �meet again with Chinese and North Korean officials in Beijing, provided the session was followed almost immediately by multilateral talks that include South Korea, Japan and possibly Russia� (Washington Post).
During the talks, the U.S. is apparently willing to �reassure North Korea it does not face a U.S. invasion and then move toward what one official called a �whole gamut� of issues . . . such as providing energy and food aid.�
Communist Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing didn�t see much use in the five-way talks, insisting that U.S.-PRC-NK talks are �the only right way� (MSNBC). The last such round of talks in Beijing (see 4/30 Update) ended with the Stalinists boasting of its nuclear weapons.
For more on Communist China�s Stalinist ally, sign up for Monday�s North Korea Report.
OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA LAUNCHES ITS OWN AEGIS DESTROYER
The PRC military has put to sea it first homemade Aegis-like destroyer, capable of �an advanced radar system, stealth design, a vertical launch system and long-range anti-aircraft missiles� (American Foreign Policy Council via World Net Daily).
The U.S. has Aegis ships of its own, but has refused to sell them to Taiwan (see 4/25/01 Update). Is anybody in Washington regretting that decision now? American Foreign Policy Council can be access via the Other Sites of Interest page.
OVER 5,000 PROTEST FALUN GONG WAR IN D.C.
A series of protests condemning the Communist crackdown against Falun Gong practitioners brought over 5,000 to the nation�s capital (including yours truly, who spoke at yesterday�s rally). The Communists have killed hundreds of practitioners, and jailed thousands more, simply for their spiritual faith, since July of 1999. Report: Washington Times
The rally was sponsored by Friends of Falun Gong (and co-sponsored by, among many others, us) whose Deputy Director has been a Member since 2003.
BROTHERS CHARGED WITH PROFITING OFF CHINESE ESCAPEES
Two brothers are on trial for helping �more than two dozen Chinese twenty-somethings� (Washington Post) escape to the U.S., for $20,000 to $60,000 per person, through faked romances and engagements. This is just one of several criminal enterprises profiting off the desire of Chinese to escape the PRC, and suffer anything to avoid being forced to go back.
BOB GRAHAM HIRES JOHN HUANG�S OLD BOSS
Marvin Rosen, the man who brought John Huang to the Democratic National Committee, is now working for Democratic Presidential candidate and Florida Senator Bob Graham. Huang was a conduit for PRC money into the DNC for the 1996 campaign. Report: Newsmax
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
LIAONING BANS �LEWD� CELL PHONE MESSAGES
The mafia-tainted province of Liaoning (see 3/14/01, 10/17/01, and 10/9/02 Updates) is cracking down � on cell-phone users. The province has banned �insulting or sexually explicit mobile phone messages� (BBC). The Communists did not say how the ban would be enforced.
CRACKDOWN ON CYBER CAFES CUTS INTO INTERNET GROWTH IN PRC
This shouldn�t surprise anyone, but the growth of the internet in Communist China has been much slower this year than last. In part, this is �due to the imposition of strict regulations on cyber cafes� (BBC).
OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
HU JINTAO ON REFORM � LONG ON SYMBOL, SHORT ON SUBSTANCE
According to Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN, PRC President Hu Jintao has �scored big on symbolism� in bringing reform to the Communist Party. However, actual reform is something else again. Hu�s crown jewel of �reform� � �intra-party democracy� � has been stymied, with only a few provinces being allowed to consider it.
Meanwhile, the battle against corruption is largely going corruption�s way. The case of �private� businessman Zhou Zhengyi (see 6/4, 6/11, and 6/18 Updates), which Lam reports is as big as the Xiamen smuggling scandal (see 9/13/00 and 12/27/00 Updates), has suddenly hit a brick wall.
COMMUNIST CHINA�S FIRST ASTRONAUT COMING IN 100 DAYS
Communist China appears to have set October 1 � about 100 days away � as the target date for its first manned space flight. Report: UPI via Washington Times
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
INDIAN GOVERNMENT�S IDEOLOGICAL BASE CALLS FOR TOUGH LINE ON PRC
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological force behind India�s elected Bharatiya Janata Party government, called on the BJP-led government to make �every effort to retrieve� (Washington Times) territory lost to Communist China and its ally Pakistan during wars in the 20th Century.
REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
TAIWAN SCORES BIG ON PARTIAL PRIVITIZATION
Taiwan received an economic shot in the arm as its sale of a piece of Chunghwa Telecom netted $1.65 billion last week. The sale was for roughly 12% of the state-owned firm; the ROC plans to reduce its share to half by the end of 2003. Report: BBC
REFERENDUM GUIDELINES ADOPTED
Taiwan�s cabinet �approved . . . guidelines for holding referendums on disputed policies for this island off China� (Washington Times, third paragraph). The Communists don�t like nay referendums in the ROC � in part they�re worried about a possible vote on the independence, but they�re likely also worried about another example of popular rule.
TAIWAN�S ECONOMY TO BEAT EARLIER FORECAST
The island democracy�s economy is now projected to beat earlier forecasts of 3% economic growth for the year. The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) now projects that the ROC will grow at roughly 3.5% a year. Report: BBC
HONG KONG NEWS
HU JINTAO BACKS TUNG CHEE-HWA, RAILS AGAINST �FOREIGN FORCES�
Communist President Hu Jintao stood firmly behind Tung Chee-hwa, the PRC-appointed Chief Executive of Hong Kong, rejecting the whishes of thousands who have taken to the streets opposing both Tung and the now shelved �anti-subversion� law (see 7/2, 7/9, and last Updates). Also reporting: Washington Post, Newsmax, Cybercast News
The pro-democracy forces, who brought 500,000 into the streets on July 1, have also called for Tung�s successor to be elected by the people, a position backed by 80% of HK residents. Hu ripped that idea, and also tried the �foreign forces� (Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN) card, accusing these heretofore-unseen forces of interfering with �social stability� in Hong Kong.
UNEMPLOYMENT IN HK HITS RECORD HIGH, AGAIN
Meanwhile, the economy is continuing to crack under the threat to Hong Kong�s freedoms. Unemployment in the city hit 8.6% for the April-June period (HK tracks unemployment in rolling three-month intervals), a new record. Report: BBC
No news was reported from Tibet this week.
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